Malinis, Lemery, Batangs: Historical Data

Historical data from the National Library of the Philippines.

Full transcription of the so-called “Historical Data” for the barrio of Malinis in the Municipality of Lemery, Batangas, the original scanned documents at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections not having OCR or optical character recognition properties. This transcription has been edited for grammar, spelling and punctuation where possible. The original pagination is provided for citation purposes.

[Cover page.]

COMPILATION
OF
HISTORICAL DATA
FOR THE

BARRIO
OF
MALINIS

MUNICIPALITY OF LEMERY
PROVINCE OF BATANGAS

[p. 1]

The present official name of the barrio is Malinis.

Former Name or Names and their Meaning or Derivation

Long ago, very few people lived in this barrio. This place had no forest and was nearly composed of rivers and brooks. Palanas, which is very near the place, was surrounded with water. Today, we can see that many trees grow. There were only a few houses along the provincial road. In those days, the people banded together making their homes clean. It has been the practice of the people even nowadays making their homes and surroundings clean, making flower gardens and constructing toilets of their own. The Spaniards happened to see that this barrio was the cleanest of all and they named it Malinis.

List of Tenientes from the Earliest Time to Date

Important Facts and Incidents
During the Spanish Occupation

In 1896, Maximo Caag was the teniente del barrio. In that year, trouble arose in the barrio. The people in this barrio suffered much under the hands of the Spaniards. The barrio folks could do nothing but go to other places where they could be free from enemies.

In those days, the people were not educated. They were not obliged to build schools. The priests were the ones who held the town.

During the American Occupation to World War II

When the Americans came to the Philippines, there was a great change in the lives of the people in the barrio. Schools were established and everybody was allowed to go to school. The teniente del barrio was Mr. Valentin Aquino. The people rejoiced because they were free from the hands of the Spaniards.

During and after World War II

In 1941, World War II broke out. The people in this place, though they lived in the barrio, used to go to other places to evacuate. Nobody could say that he was wealthy or poor. Some Filipinos were just killed but not such things did not happen in this barrio. The Japanese were so cruel like the Spaniards. The Filipinos were forced to be guerrillas.

[p. 2]

News spread that the Americans landed in Nasugbu and would soon come to Lemery. It was in the year 1945. The people were so happy for they heard of their coming, and that they would be free from the hands of the cruel enemies.

Before the Americans came to Lemery, cars, jeeps, weapons carriers and observation planes could be seen first. The first place or barrio where they stayed was Matingain. There, they spent a week before they went to the town of Lemery. When the people of this barrio knew that they had arrived, they became brave to see and talk with them and sometimes greet them hello! Victory Joe! After a long stay in the barrio of Matingain, they proceeded to the town. They stayed very near the beach. Because the Americans were not like the Japanese and the Spaniards, many people were lonely when they left the place.

PART TWO: FOLKWAYS
Traditions, Customs and Practices in Domestic and Social Life

Birth –

Before a child is born, the common practice of the people of Malinis is to prepare two or three chickens. The people, especially the neighbors, upon hearing that a mother is certain to deliver, they need not be invited but prove themselves always ready to help whenever in time of need.

Baptism –

After a child is born, the godparents are made known at once. To know when the child should be baptized, the godmother decides the date. Usually, the parents of the baby prepares a baptismal party and few or nearly the whole people in the barrio are invited.

Courtship –

The moment a man falls in love with a certain woman, his intentions are made known to the parents. In going there, they bring with them something. They call it “paisda.” If the woman and her parents accepted the offer given, they offer them again something. Then comes the “pasagad” system and, at last, the “bulungan.” The old folks of both parties meet together and have [a] final discussion about the marriage. They fix the date of [the] marriage.

Marriage –

The laws and customs of the time demanded strict fulfillment, promise or contract, and in this respect, the ancient Filipinos compared favorably with the Romans. If a man broke a promise of marriage, he was punished. If he would not break his promise, they were married by the priest. They celebrated it by means of having a wedding party. The party was ended with the bride transferring to the groom’s house. The practice in this barrio is to leave the groom in the bride’s house and join his wife the next day.

Death –

When somebody dies, nearly all the relatives spend the whole night watching the deceased.

[p. 3]

Popular Songs and Games

The people of Malinis are great admirers of music. They used to sing songs called orihinal, like Florante at Laura, Anole Doreano, Ibong Adarna and in dances like Rigodon, Fandango, Lulay, and Anuncio. They are also interested in games some of which are named in Tagalog as Pata, Sunga, Tanga, Paikit and Soromay.

Riddles

Proverbs

Beliefs